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It’s not often that a new model is introduced to the Toughbook series, so when it happens it’s big news (in some circles). The release of the Toughbook S9 is just such an occasion, though let’s keep in mind that it’s not completely new. First off, it’s been out in Japan for a few month’s already (as a Let’s Note) and secondly this is a refresh to the venerable W series, not an entirely new release.

So what makes the S9 so newsworthy? Among other things, it’s the world’s lightest 12.1-inch notebook with an optical drive. That’s pretty great on it’s own, but considering that this is a business-rugged system makes that even more impressive. And how rugged is it? More so than a typical laptop, but not quite to the level of a semi-rugged one.

So it’s not a fully-rugged Toughbook 31 but it can still take a beating, making it perfect for outdoor usage and mission-critical data.

The S9 packs a widescreen 12.1-inch LED-backlit display, so there is a nice resolution bump from the previous models but now even Panasonic is out of the 4:3 aspect ratio game. The new display runs at 1280×800.

Basic specs include and Intel Core i5-520M 2.4GHz processor (with vPro), 320GB shock-mounted hard drive, 2GB RAM (expandable to 4GB), DVD super multi-drive, optional Gobi WWAN, and a/b/g/n WiFi. The system will ship with Windows 7 but an XP downgrade is still available. The S9 measures 11.1 x 8.3 x 0.9-1.5-inches making it rather thick, as has always been the case with the W series.

Battery life is rated at an impressive 11 hours.

One thing for business users to note is that the S9 does have HDMI, but it didn’t lose the VGA output. What it did lose to make room for the HDMI port was the old docking connector, which will be a disappointment for W8 owners. Panasonic has told me that they are planning on releasing a certified port replicator though this will not be able to charge the system (it will pass through HDMI and VGA).